Winners and Losers at the Summer 2012 Box Office

Loser: Paramount Pictures

Someone on the Paramount Pictures lot did an absolutely horrible job planning the slate for the studio's 100th anniversary. After one of the company's best financial years ever in 2011, the past 8 months have been nothing but a disaster and the summer hasn't gotten any better. May began with Sacha Baron Cohen's "The Dictator" breaking even (at best) with $174.9 million worldwide. The studio released DreamWorks Animation's "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" in June which found $602 million worldwide, but Paramount only received an 8% cut of the profits. The studio also benefited from a similar deal they made with Disney to give up distribution rights on the blockbuster "The Avengers," but this is all short term cash. The only other major release was July's "Katy Perry: Part of Me" and that found just $25 million making it more Jonas Brothers than Justin Bieber. Things got worse when the studio decided to move "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" to 2013 less than a month from it's scheduled July 4 holiday release. In August, DreamWorks Animation decided to bolt to 20th Century Fox in 2013. Needless to say, it's been a summer to forget at the Mountain.